Hertz - Huge rate bump at counter: normal?

For reasons not worth going into here, I needed a cheap car at the last minute, for less than 24 hours, at SEA at about 11:30 pm on Saturday, May 19. Hertz was my first stop.

The agent quoted me $30.99 for a Hyundai Accent. I said OK and we started the paperwork. As soon as my profile showed up on the computer, the rate went to $75. The agent said it had to do with my AA Citibank program and he couldn't do a thing about it. Another agent, who was close enough to have heard what was going on, didn't contradict him. I told him the deal was off.

After a minute or two of fruitless discussion, not helped by the late hour, I walked 20 feet to my left and got a Toyota Camry from Avis for $30. I'm sure it was a far more pleasant car to drive than the Accent would have been, for a few cents less.

Aside from the utter business stupidity of preferring a car sitting in the parking lot to $31 in the bank, has anyone else enountered this? Does it really work this way? Does it have to? If it happens again, is there anything I can do (other than walking 20 feet to the left, that is)?

I'd have to defer to those more knowledgeable on the Hertz reservations system, but in my experience, it has varied on the agent/location.

I've encountered agents at IAD and LAX that say they can't change the reservation manually, so whatever is in the system is final. But on the other hand, in the past other Gold agents seemed to have no problem changing my reservations (changing a F promo reservation to my corporate I rate at SFO and changing this week's B reservation to a C at DFW).

SEA is a scam. Agents are somehow compensated by getting you to pay as much a possible. Avis is a gem in SEA. If they have an upgrade they will give it to you as a mere "Preferred" and will never ask for additional money.

For reasons not worth going into here, I needed a cheap car at the last minute, for less than 24 hours, at SEA at about 11:30 pm on Saturday, May 19. Hertz was my first stop.

The agent quoted me $30.99 for a Hyundai Accent. I said OK and we started the paperwork. As soon as my profile showed up on the computer, the rate went to $75. The agent said it had to do with my AA Citibank program and he couldn't do a thing about it. Another agent, who was close enough to have heard what was going on, didn't contradict him. I told him the deal was off.

After a minute or two of fruitless discussion, not helped by the late hour, I walked 20 feet to my left and got a Toyota Camry from Avis for $30. I'm sure it was a far more pleasant car to drive than the Accent would have been, for a few cents less.

Aside from the utter business stupidity of preferring a car sitting in the parking lot to $31 in the bank, has anyone else enountered this? Does it really work this way? Does it have to? If it happens again, is there anything I can do (other than walking 20 feet to the left, that is)?

So they were not willing to quote you a rate without your program code? That makes no sense. This sound absurd, but what you need to do in these cases is call the 1800 number right in front of the clerks next time and book it through the national number. Then hang up and give them your confirmation number. Sometimes they really are silly at these desks.

I concur that on occasion, IAD is bizzar. I had to contact the national desk just last week because the turn in clerk would not honor the code which was printed on the reservation. The national desk did say that he may have had an incorrectly programmed handheld computer.

SEA is a scam. Agents are somehow compensated by getting you to pay as much a possible. Avis is a gem in SEA. If they have an upgrade they will give it to you as a mere "Preferred" and will never ask for additional money.

I am making a reservation for SEA, and I am shocked at how much taxes/fees they add on for airport! A $200 base rate rental went almost up to $300!! I'm not sure what the deal is with this, but if I pickup from "SEA TAC HLE" at 19707 Pacific Highway South vs the SEATTLE TACOMA AIRPORT at 17801 Pacific Highway South, the rate drops down to $145 including everything. And I'm returning the car to SEATAC, just not picking up there. These locations are like 1-2 miles apart. I am not a frequent Hertz renter, so what does SEA TAC HLE mean? Will I get hit up for the airport fees/taxes later even though my rate says $145 total ("approximate charges")? I ask because Enterprise car rental has a 2nd location a few blocks further away on Pacific Highway South, and they still charge the airport fees even though they can't pick up at the airport (they have an airport branch as well). The not-on-site airport offices' daily rates are lower as well, across the board for all rental car agencies, it seems. The Enterprise agent told me clients often take cabs from the airport to their office to save the $$ (their difference was $200+ down to like $138 or so).

So they were not willing to quote you a rate without your program code? That makes no sense...That was the problem. The agent did quote me a rate without my program code. It was $30.99. As soon as he found the program code, the rate jumped to $75. I might have stayed for $35 or so, but not for that kind of difference. (I wasn't spending my own money, but my department chair appreciates it when I don't waste the university's.)

That was the problem. The agent did quote me a rate without my program code. It was $30.99. As soon as he found the program code, the rate jumped to $75. I might have stayed for $35 or so, but not for that kind of difference. (I wasn't spending my own money, but my department chair appreciates it when I don't waste the university's.)

Yes, that is what I do not understand though. You are not required to use the same program code EVERY time, and you can use several program codes as long as you qualify for them. If you wanted to use no program code, that should have been an option as well. They should have removed it for that rate but left it n your profile. I still maintain you should have called the nationwide desk in front of them.

...I still maintain you should have called the nationwide desk in front of them.Excellent suggestion, which I'll keep in mind. Given post #3 in this thread, however, walking 20 feet to the left, or starting there in the first place, may be the way to go unless I need another Hertz rental for Five Star or something.

Excellent suggestion, which I'll keep in mind. Given post #3 in this thread, however, walking 20 feet to the left, or starting there in the first place, may be the way to go unless I need another Hertz rental for Five Star or something.

You are right. Yours is a great idea and I suppose really makes Hertz pay for its mistake. :)

I am not a frequent Hertz renter, so what does SEA TAC HLE mean? Will I get hit up for the airport fees/taxes later even though my rate says $145 total ("approximate charges")?People use that location to save a ton of money. Sea-tac is a city too. I think they are not allowed to pick you up at the airport to avoid the fees. I could not use that location because they are closed Sunday and I could not drop off at the airport because I was using a coupon that does not allow dropping off at a different location.

I am making a reservation for SEA, and I am shocked at how much taxes/fees they add on for airport! A $200 base rate rental went almost up to $300!! I'm not sure what the deal is with this, but if I pickup from "SEA TAC HLE" at 19707 Pacific Highway South vs the SEATTLE TACOMA AIRPORT at 17801 Pacific Highway South, the rate drops down to $145 including everything. And I'm returning the car to SEATAC, just not picking up there. These locations are like 1-2 miles apart. I am not a frequent Hertz renter, so what does SEA TAC HLE mean? Will I get hit up for the airport fees/taxes later even though my rate says $145 total ("approximate charges")? I ask because Enterprise car rental has a 2nd location a few blocks further away on Pacific Highway South, and they still charge the airport fees even though they can't pick up at the airport (they have an airport branch as well). The not-on-site airport offices' daily rates are lower as well, across the board for all rental car agencies, it seems. The Enterprise agent told me clients often take cabs from the airport to their office to save the $$ (their difference was $200+ down to like $138 or so).
"SEA TAC HLE" is the Hertz Local Edition location just south of the Seatac Hampton Inn and the Horizon Air Offices, a little over a mile south of the airport. No airport fees are charged for pickups here and you are allowed to return the car to the airport. They have always been been pleasant and helpful although I have had to wait 10 to 20 minutes before as they shuffled cars from other lots. As stated earlier they are not allowed to pick you up at the airport.

"SEA TAC HLE" is the Hertz Local Edition location just south of the Seatac Hampton Inn and the Horizon Air Offices, a little over a mile south of the airport. No airport fees are charged for pickups here and you are allowed to return the car to the airport. They have always been been pleasant and helpful although I have had to wait 10 to 20 minutes before as they shuffled cars from other lots. As stated earlier they are not allowed to pick you up at the airport.

Correct. There is also an HLE in Pentagon City near DCA, just a short walk from the Metro station. I've found that short rentals are often cheaper there (avoiding the airport fees), but that they jack up the longer rates making the airport cheaper even with the junk fees included.

What's interesting is that Hertz has no locations inside the District of Columbia (not even at Union Station), while Avis does.